Musicians tune up for Piping Live!

One of the world's biggest piping festivals has opened with thousands of performers tuning up for a week of competition.

Piping Live! Glasgow International Piping Festival features more than 150 events over the next seven days, and organisers want to capitalise and extend the momentum and atmosphere generated by the Commonwealth Games.

Around 50,000 spectators and 8,000 musicians from around the world are expected to attend the festival.

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Musicians from as far afield as New Zealand, Australia, the US and Canada are among the 26 countries taking part, as well as pipers from Scotland, France and Spain.

Festival organiser Alisdair McLaren said: ''I think it's going to be a fantastic atmosphere especially straight after the Commonwealth Games. It's going to be a carry-on from that.

''Because it's bringing all these musicians in from around the world, the atmosphere is very electric.''

Among the first events held today were the Masters Solo Piping competition at the National Piping Centre and music from France in the Music of the Nations series.

The festival hub is at the National Piping Centre but this year there will also be an event space in Candleriggs in Glasgow's Merchant City.

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Performances will take place there while there will also be a street food festival.

The festival runs from August 11 to 17 and culminates in the World Pipe Band Championships.

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